Batch, Richardson among honorees

Adam D. Young

Sunday

Jan 30, 2011 at 12:01 AM

Former Texas Tech football player Baron Batch and late community leader Eddie Richardson were among honorees Saturday at a Lubbock gala.

The pair, along with former Lubbock ISD school administrator John Washington, were praised as role models for children in the Lubbock community during the 100 Black Men of West Texas’ 16th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser and Gala Saturday at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center.

Batch, a recent Tech graduate, and Washington, an assistant superintendent for the Garland Independent School District, were chosen as the honorees for the event themed “What They See is What They’ll Be.”

Richardson, the co-founder of The Southwest Digest who died in December, was recognized in a special tribute during the event.

Batch, who turned 23 in December, said he felt privileged to be the Lubbock mentoring organization’s youngest honoree the event’s 16-year history.

“It’s definitely flattering,” he said. “It’s cool to be recognized for something I’ve done off the field.”

Batch said he was glad to be back in Lubbock, a community that still feels like home to him after five years at Texas Tech. He was in Lubbock for the weekend, taking a break from his training for the National Football League in Dallas.

“I love Lubbock,” he said. “I’d definitely be lying if I said I didn’t want to see it again."

Batch said he appreciated being honored for his position as a role model as a Texas Tech football player and for his weekly column that ran in The Avalanche-Journal last fall.

“A lot of that was as simple as being able to talk about what I’d done that week,” he said. “And to have people come up to me and say they appreciated what I wrote ... that meant a lot.”

Washington, who served as assistant superintendent for student services among other roles with LISD in the 1990s, was recognized for his dedication to Lubbock’s youth as a school administrator and charter member of the 100 Black Men of West Texas, said Calvin Davis, vice president and spokesman of the Lubbock mentoring organization.

Washington, who now serves as an assistant superintendent in the Garland school district, said he appreciated being remembered by his old Lubbock friends.

“Being honored by your peers, that’s one of the highest honors you can receive,” he said.

Of Richardson, Davis said his organization had for years considered recognizing the late newspaper editor for his community leadership.

He said he regretted not being able to honor Richardson until after his death.

Accepting the award for Richardson was his colleague at Southwest Digest, former city councilman T.J. Patterson.

“He deserves it, he can not see it now, he can not feel it now, but he deserves it,” he said.

Patterson, a former member of the 100 Black Men, was honored last year, along with former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, by the organization.

Proceeds from the $40-per-ticket gala benefited the organization’s scholarships for area students planning to attend college.

To comment on this story:

adam.young@lubbockonline.com • 766-8725

shelly.gonzales@lubbockonline.com • 766-8747

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